Real Life

Disturbing but poignant Melissa Brown is an artist living in Montrose. "Birthday Girl" is an eerie, contemporary yarn that might just wrap itself around you. I enjoyed the emotionally claustrophobic elements that lace the plot, but many might not. Though the story line is, in large part, disturbing, it's also poignant and bittersweet, thanks to Nicole Kidman's affecting portrayal. The truth or consequences of one lonely man's efforts to spin a love life from virtual reality into a real-life happy and golden ending is cause for reflection.

Students? annual art show continues Glendale Community College Annual Student Art Show continues today in the Art Gallery in the Library Building of the campus, 1500 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale. Traditional and digital artwork created by advanced students and selected by faculty will be displayed. Drawings, paintings, prints, ceramics, sculpture, photography, graphic design, three-dimensional design, jewelry, video, animation and Web design are all included in the exhibition.

The soccer World Cup is killing me. Not literally, but I am losing some sleep while challenging my clients' resolve to keep me on their books in the face of my occasional unavailability. This is the event that gives some local sport commentators the opportunity to take cheap shots at the sport by branding it as un-American. I'd like to challenge that argument when I grow up, but for now, let me concede that soccer is not as American as baseball, football or basketball. The World Cup is a chance for some Glendale residents ?

You should consider going to the movies to see “42,” the new biographical film on baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson's first year with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. The actual date of his major league debut, April 15, is commemorated in baseball by all players on all teams wearing his number, the only one that is permanently retired. The film is only the second one that's been made on his life and it is well done. The film is straight-forward storytelling, with solid acting.

Funny and extremely charming Tina Martin is a freshman at UC San Diego, and daughter of Reel Critic Marla Martin. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed "Freaky Friday"! It was cute, funny and extremely charming. The connection between mother and daughter, the terrors of being a teenager dealing with her family and the eventual happy realization of "selfless love" all play a major role in the film. There are also the facts that the mom is getting remarried and that Anna has a major crush at school.

Darleene Barrientos Driving to Glendale High School Thursday felt a little unreal for Jasmen Karami. Sitting at the top of the bleachers at Glendale High School's Moyse Field, Karami couldn't believe that her 18-year-old daughter, Anasheh Safarian, was graduating from high school. "It was too fast," Karami said. "I cannot believe it. I was on my way here, and I was thinking, I cannot believe Anasheh is graduating. Even she said to me, 'Mom, I can't believe I'm graduating.

KIMBERLIE ZAKARIAN In my personal life, the jump from two to three children was like adding six more. With my first two, I was up preaching within a week. With my third, I find myself drowning under loads of laundry caused by spit-up as I try to meet writing deadlines and perform two weddings this month. At times, I hardly feel inspired. So, as I prayed about this week's column, I asked the Lord, "What should I write on that will meet people's needs in our community?"

You should consider going to the movies to see “42,” the new biographical film on baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson's first year with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. The actual date of his major league debut, April 15, is commemorated in baseball by all players on all teams wearing his number, the only one that is permanently retired. The film is only the second one that's been made on his life and it is well done. The film is straight-forward storytelling, with solid acting.

Having launched the Glendale bear “Meatball” to stardom and nurtured a growing fundraising and media campaign to secure him a permanent sanctuary, Sarah Aujero was understandably excited to become one of few non-official people to see the 400-pound bear in person. Finally, after weeks of working tirelessly on his behalf, she would come face-to-face with the famous Meatball in his temporary, caged enclosure at a facility east of San Diego. And when the moment came last Thursday?

It's funny the little things you notice when watching “Delicacy,” opening this week at the Laemmle Playhouse in Pasadena. Like the fact that Parisian pixie Audrey Tatou wears the same shoes and often the same outfit in many scenes. But after all, she is an office worker, so it makes sense she hasn't popped into Chanel for a fresh outfit every day. It's a reality check that's been scrubbed over so many times in a glossy well groomed Hollywood format that it's strangely fixating. It's these charming deviations that flavor this French romantic film with an appealing aperitif to an otherwise well worn tale of the beauty and the beast she falls in love with.

When a new Jim Carrey comedy opens and a buddy asks me to go, I always say “yes,” but should you say yes to “Yes Man”? If you’re a fan of Carrey, by all means, yes, buy a ticket. Looking for a few cheap laughs, I say maybe. If you’re hoping to experience the greatest comedy ever made, the answer is sadly, no. Carrey stars as a boring bank officer named Carl Allen who loves to reply “no” to everything in life. He turns down loans, party invitations and even avoids contact with his friends after a painful divorce.

Students? annual art show continues Glendale Community College Annual Student Art Show continues today in the Art Gallery in the Library Building of the campus, 1500 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale. Traditional and digital artwork created by advanced students and selected by faculty will be displayed. Drawings, paintings, prints, ceramics, sculpture, photography, graphic design, three-dimensional design, jewelry, video, animation and Web design are all included in the exhibition.

It had been a hard day. With my wife, Kaitzer, at school getting ?organized? for the upcoming semester, I had the girls ? all day. I shall not commiserate with you ? you wouldn?t understand. But all I wanted to do was spend a couple of hours hanging at Penelope?s sipping on a chai latte with a good book. No sir, I had to preside over the girls? routine of getting up, dressing, brushing teeth, reading, math and making breakfast, lunch and snack. Thank God for Ramen noodles.

Recently I've found it difficult to come up with light-hearted topics on the Armenian-American community to write about. Maybe it's my general mood, or just the heavy workload at the office that is not allowing those types of juices to keep flowing. Or perhaps it's all the negative stereotypes flying around about the community that has made me a bit reserved. From being blamed for bad driving to welfare fraud, from rudeness to air pollution via extravagant barbecuing, the community does not seem to need my help in attracting negativity.

Jason Robert Brown's new musical "13" recently opened at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, and local actress Tinashe Kachingwe, 13, from La Crescenta plays the part of Cathy. "13" is Kachingwe's first stage performance, but not her first acting venture by a long shot. She is a well-known local celebrity. Fellow students at her former elementary schools, Mountain Avenue and Monte Vista, enjoyed school talent shows where Kachingwe performed. Over the years, she has done numerous television shows, commercials and movies, including the 2004 Christmas hit, "The Polar Express."